My Love For You
by tifafenrir09
Summary: A request of gagboy. Cloud has come to Pulse, hoping to ask the fal'Cie to revive Aerith and Zack. But meeting a young girl with strawberry blonde hair will soon change that...SerahxCloud
1. Legend Of The fal'Cie

Cloud Strife sat on a lonely hill. He gazed at a pink ribbon in his hand. _Could I really bring you and Zack back to life, Aerith?_

He'd heard a story about the city of Pulse, nicknamed the Godly Kingdom, saying that a race called the fal'Cie would grant the deepest wish of anyone. He sighed, the cold wind brushing against his face.

"Well, I can't just sit here and do nothing about it. I have to know if the legend is true." he told himself.

Pulling on his coat, he got on his motorbike, Fenrir. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. He pressed a number.

"Hello, Strife Delivery Service." Tifa Lockhart's voice called.

"Hey, Tifa." Cloud smiled.

"Oh, hi, Cloud. Where are you?" she asked.

"Tifa, I'm...gonna be away for a few days. Could you watch over the business for me?" he asked.

"Sure. What's wrong?" she replied.

"There's something I need to check out." he sighed.

"Oh...You heard about the legend too, huh?" she realised.

"Go on. Marlene, Denzel and I will be fine." she sighed.

"Thanks, Teef. I owe you one." he grinned.

"What're friends for?" she replied.

The call ended, and Cloud set off.

* * *

Serah Farron ran into her house, tears in her eyes. _How could you do this to me, Snow?_ The two had just broken up, ending their engagement.

"Serah, what's wrong?" her sister, Lightning, asked, sensing something was wrong.

"S-Snow...broke up with me!" Serah wept.

"What?" Lightning gasped. _He's gonna pay for this!_ "Serah, look at me. You were too good for him. I'm sure you'll find a man who'll treat you right." she smiled.

"Thanks, big sis." Serah beamed, wiping her eyes.

"Stay here. Snow has some explaining to do." Lightning announced.

**LATER**

She found Snow. "Hey!" she called.

"Oh, hi, Light." he blinked, before being slapped across the face.

"Do you mind telling me why my little sister is at home, nursing a broken heart?" she demanded.

"We're taking a break." he replied, rubbing his face.

"Bullshit! Don't you remember what I said the night that you two got engaged?" she snapped.

"Vaguely." he replied.

"Well, how about a reminder then?" she suggested, grabbing his collar. "I said _"If you do anything to hurt my sister, I will hunt you down, and tear you a new pair"_." she snarled. "Remember now?" she asked.

He nodded. "How about telling me why Serah's so heartbroken." Lightning demanded.

"I've fallen out of love with her." he sighed.

"You know what, I've never been gladder that I was right that you weren't right for Serah to begin with. Now, get of my sight." Lightning replied.

He walked off into the night. She sighed. _Why do I have to be so protective over her?_

* * *

Cloud's bike came to a halt. "So...This is Pulse." he smiled.


	2. Arrival At Pulse

Cloud looked around. _Damn, this place is creepy!_ _OK, time to find the fal'Cie._ He froze_. I'm not alone..._ He spun around to see some soldiers, with their guns aimed at him.

"And I'm guessing you're the welcoming party?" he began. They fired at him.

Cloud dodged them and took cover. "Guess not!" he blinked. He drew his sword. _So much for finding the fal'Cie sneakily!_ He jumped over the soldiers and started fighting them. Suddenly another figure appeared. It was a woman with strawberry blonde hair and was armed with a peculiar looking sword. She cut down most of them, while Cloud defeated the rest. Afterwards, they turned to each other.

"AAAAAGH!" they yelled.

"Who are you, and why do you look so much like me?" Cloud blinked.

"I should be asking you the same thing!" the woman exclaimed, putting her sword away. Cloud put his own sword back as well.

"I'm Cloud. I'm from Midgar." he announced, holding out his hand.

"Name's Lightning. Nice to meet you, Cloud." the woman replied, shaking it.

* * *

"So, you're from Midgar, huh? I've heard a lot about it. That place was nearly destroyed by Meteor, wasn't it?" Lightning asked, as they were making their way to her house.

"That's right." Cloud replied. "Hey, why are you called Lightning?" he asked.

Lightning fell quiet. She looked sad. "Years ago, my sister and I...lost our parents. I couldn't bear to remember them, so I took a name to try to distance myself from my past: Lightning." she replied.

"I know how you feel. My mom was killed by Sephiroth, and my dad died when I was little." Cloud smiled sympathetically.

"OK, we're here." she announced. They had arrived at her house. "Serah, I'm back!" Lightning called.

A young girl came downstairs. She had the same colour of hair as Lightning. "Welcome back." she beamed.

"Cloud, this is my sister, Serah." Lightning announced.

"Hey." Cloud nodded. _Wow, she's cute._

"Hi." Serah smiled. _Wow, he's handsome!_

"So, you're Lightning's sister, huh? I see the resemblance." Cloud grinned.

"Thanks!" Serah giggled, blushing. Lightning seemed to slightly blush as well. Then she spotted something on Serah's arm. "Serah, what is this?" she asked.

"Don't know." Serah shrugged.

Lightning took a closer look. "Oh my God..." she gasped.

"What?" Cloud asked.

"You've been marked." Lightning whispered, hands covering her mouth.

"Marked? Marked by what?" Cloud asked.

"It was an accident!" Serah protested.

"OK, will you tell me what the hell's going on?" Cloud demanded.

"Look for yourself." Lightning replied, holding out her arm. He saw a strange looking mark.

"What is it?" he asked. "It's the mark of the l'Cie." Lightning replied.

"The l'Cie? What's that?" Cloud asked.

"People marked by the fal'Cie, forced to do their bidding." she sighed.

"OK...It can't be that bad, can it?" Cloud blinked.

"It's worse. Those marked by the fal'Cie have to complete a Focus. See the arrows? They'll multiply, and an eye will appear. Once that eye opens, we can kiss Serah goodbye." Lightning explained.

"Why, what will happen to her?" Cloud asked anxiously.

"She'll become a Cie Corpse. She won't be my sister anymore." Lightning replied.

_That can't be good..._ "Well, can't you do something about it, like, asking the fal'Cie to let her go?" Cloud suggested.

"No. The fal'Cie are too powerful. We can't do anything about it." Lightning groaned.

"Well, it can't hurt to try." Cloud replied.

"He has a point." Serah nodded.

"OK, let's give it a shot then!" Lightning nodded.


	3. A Sister's Pain

They were soon on their way to meet the fal'Cie. Lightning looked unhappy. "Snow's gonna pay for this..." she muttered.

Cloud glanced at Serah. "Who's Snow?" he asked.

She looked uncomfortable. "Snow is, or rather **was**, my boyfriend. We were engaged, until yesterday." she replied.

"Oh. And Lightning's mad at this Snow guy because...?" he began.

"Does "breaking her little sister's heart" count as a reason?" Serah suggested.

"Good point." Cloud nodded.

"He also caused you to be marked by the fal'Cie." Lightning added.

"I told you, it was an accident!" Serah protested.

"Accident my bottom!" Lightning snapped.

_Wow, am I glad I don't have a sister!_ Cloud thought.

* * *

He soon found himself on board a train. He'd met Snow, and had to restrain both Serah and Lightning from punching him. On board, he met a boy named Hope who was travelling with his mother. When the train was attacked, Lightning went ahead with Cloud and a man named Sazh. Snow stayed behind with Hope and a girl named Vanille. Earlier, Snow had told Serah that he would help her complete her Focus, which she reluctantly agreed to.

* * *

Everything about the land of Pulse reminded him of his home. The floating city of Cocoon seemed to remind him of Midgar.

"I just noticed how you remind me of Lightning sometimes, Cloud." Sazh grinned. Cloud merely shrugged. When they soon met up with Snow's team, they heard that Hope's mother had died fighting.

Cloud felt an almost brotherly desire to comfort the boy. "It's gonna be OK, Hope." Cloud promised, gently embracing the mourning teen.

* * *

Earlier, Serah had suddenly been taken from them. The team made its way to the Hanging Edge, but had been split up. Snow was on his own, while Cloud went with Lightning and Hope and Sazh went with Vanille. Eventually, they soon found her. But she had completed her Focus. Lightning held her sister in her arms. Serah told them to make sure that Cocoon was protected, and everyone watched as she became a crystal. Cloud put a hand on Lightning's shoulder. She was numb with horror and grief.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to help." he whispered sadly.

Lightning embraced him tightly. "It wasn't your fault." she replied, silent tears slipping down her cheeks.


	4. Cloud's Eidolon Revealed

"Lightning, wait!" Cloud called. She had stormed off ahead. Lightning drew her weapon. Standing before them was a strange being a fal'Cie. Lightning ran to it. As she struck it, a light shot at them at different parts of their bodies. Cloud realised he'd been struck by the light on the upper part of his left arm. After they fought the fal'Cie, they felt the room suddenly shake....

* * *

When Cloud came to, he saw that they were in some sort of lake. He felt sad. _Looks like the legend about the fal'Cie granting wishes is nothing but a lie_, he thought. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his arm. Taking off his jacket, he saw a light coming from his left arm. "What's going on?!" he cried. He screamed in agony.

All of a sudden a wolf appeared. "Fenrir?!" Cloud gasped. He heard footsteps.

"Cloud, get back!" Lightning yelled.

"What the hell is going on?!" Cloud demanded.

"That's an Eidolon." she explained.

"Eido-what?" Cloud blinked.

"Those marked by the fal'Cie have a summon monster to aid them in battle. Those are Eidolons." she replied.

"And what do I have to do?" Cloud asked.

"You have to tame your Eidolon so that it will obey your every command." she replied.

The two drew their weapons. After attacking it and fulfilling its needs, they watched as the wolf changed into a hover board.

"I did it!" Cloud exclaimed.

"Well done." Lightning smiled.

* * *

When they soon met up with the others, they had a surprise in store for them. They had found the crystallised Serah.

"Our Focus is to protect Cocoon. We'll be alright. I can take whatever they throw at us. Nobody will die. I'm gonna protect the world...and Serah." Snow vowed. Lightning stormed over to him and punched him.

"Like you did before?" she snarled.

"I'll set everything straight." Snow added, and Lightning punched him again.

"What more can you do?" she demanded.

"Whatever it takes!" he yelled.

Cloud ran to Lightning's side. "**I** trust him, Lightning. We're not gonna get anywhere with violence amongst us." he announced.

Lightning's arm went limp. "We should probably get moving." she nodded.


	5. Welcome To Gran Pulse

They continued their journey. Lightning made her way ahead of the others. Cloud and Hope hurried to join her. Sazh and Vanille were trying to keep up with them while Snow continued to try to free the crystallised Serah. Along the way, Lightning discovered her Eidolon, Odin. Soon, Snow was captured by soldiers of the Sanctum, who were working with a mysterious woman, but not before he discovered his Eidolons, the Shiva Sisters. Soon, Sazh and Vanille arrived at a theme park and were reunited with Sazh's son, Dajh, but he became a crystal before his stunned father. Vanille told him that she came from Pulse. In his rage about her wanting him to kill her, he discovered his Eidolon, Brynhildr. He faked his death and he and Vanille was taken prisoner by Jihl Nabaat, a top officer of the Sanctum.

* * *

As Cloud continued his journey with Lightning, he couldn't help but think of his home, wondering how Denzel, Marlene and Tifa were doing; if Barret had managed to get the world using oil; if Vincent and Yuffie had finally confessed their feelings for each other, if Reeve and Shelke had rebuilt the WRO; if Cid and Shera were getting used to married life and if Red XIII and his mate had started a family.

_I'm sure everyone is doing fine without me, but I will ever see them again?_ he thought. _Aerith, Zack, if I do become a crystal, please keep an eye on them..._he prayed.

* * *

They were soon captured by the Sanctum as well, where Vanille was reunited with the mysterious woman who had captured Snow, Fang. Cloud knew that something about the Sanctum didn't feel right, and he was soon proved right. The head of the Sanctum was a fal'Cie named Barthandelus. After a long fight, his ship crashed. Cloud then realised that when Serah had become a crystal, a tear of her had become a crystal and he'd kept it with him. He and Snow had both realised that she'd been with them all along. Fang decided against fighting her Focus and in her despair called out her Eidolon, Bahamut. Lightning and Vanille fought him with Fang, and Fang soon mastered him. They soon fought Cid Raines, who they discovered was a l'Cie. The ship they managed to steal was attacked.

Summoning Bahamut, Fang and the others managed to land safely. "Welcome to Gran Pulse." she smiled.

"Wow..." Cloud whispered. Gran Pulse looked so much like his own homeland before the Meteor Crisis.


End file.
